BUCKSPORT, Maine — The water in Alamoosook Lake near Orland has dropped below normal levels as a result of maintenance being performed on a dam owned by Verso Paper.

But a Verso spokesman said Wednesday that the lake will be allowed to refill to the normal fall or winter level once work on the dam is complete, it is hoped within a week.

Verso, which operates several dams tied to the Bucksport paper mill, had discovered that the concrete surface on top of the Alamoosook dam was beginning to show signs of wear. So the company elected to resurface the dam this season to avoid its exterior becoming pitted, said spokesman Bill Cohen.

Cohen said there were no structural problems with the dam, which is located on a stretch of water near Route 46.

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To gain access to the dam, Verso has lowered the water below the typical drawdown level for fall.

“Our drawdown is a little bit more than it has been in past years and a little bit earlier than in past years, so we caught some lakefront owners off guard,” he said. Cohen said the drawdown would not typically take place until October.

The resurfacing work is expected to begin on Monday and likely will take several days to complete and for the new surface to harden. After that, the lake level will be brought back up to the level typically seen after the fall drawdown.